Are ‘Dance Moms’ Competitions Fake? ALDC Attends Season 6 Event With Only 15 Entries

ALDC LA swept the competition at Devotion 2 Dance as part of “Dance Moms” Season 6 over the weekend but it wasn’t exactly because they were the crème de la crème. It appears Abby Lee Miller’s two teams were the only groups to compete at the Nov. 14 competition in Agoura Hills, California.

[Spoiler alert: Season 6 competition results posted below.]

According to one “Dance Moms” spoiler site, which obtained a photo of the competition’s program, ALDC LA (Abby Lee Dance Company Los Angeles) competed two group numbers at the event. Abby’s new team danced to a jazz number “Cavemen Undercover” and her elite junior team competed in the teen division with their lyrical number “Better Off Now.” The original girls, which included Kendall Vertes, Mackenzie Ziegler, Nia Frazier, Kalani Hillker, JoJo Siwa and newcomer Brynn Rumfallo, reportedly placed first overall with “Better Off Now.” A photo from the awards ceremony shows Abby posing with her dancers and holding a trophy on a visibly bare stage. Abby’s new team is said to have taken home second overall.

It is being reported that the event only had 15 entries. ALDC LA reportedly entered two solos. Newcomer Alysa Owen is said to have placed second with her junior division jazz solo “Fever Rising." Arena Lopez reportedly took home first-place in the junior division with her contemporary piece, “Dance.”

Abby’s star student, Maddie Ziegler, was not present for the competition. Maddie’s role in the upcoming Colin Trevorrow drama “The Book of Henry” has kept her in New York City and unable to attend a majority of the West Coast Season 6 competitions. While Maddie’s burgeoning movie career is getting in the way of her “Dance Moms” filming schedule, it appears her time on set is coming to a close. On Wednesday, Maddie posted to Instagram that she was going to miss her young co-stars Jacob Tremblay and Jaeden Lieberher.

While the latest Season 6 event had a small amount of entries, this isn’t the first time a “Dance Moms” competition has raised some eyebrows. In September 2014, International Business Times attended a Season 4 competition and witnessed the “Dance Moms” stars get to perform their dances not once like others contestants, but twice for the cameras. Producers were also spotted staging the stars’ entrance into the event and prodding drama. Reality Tea also noted that a 2014 episode contained “obvious displays of fakery” and a “lack of dancers from other studios” during one competition awards ceremony.

Abby has previously spoken out about the show's producers but she has not commented on the validity of the competitions her dancers attend on the program. "They just push the envelope with people. They push you to the brink of exhausation and to the brink of losing your mind," Abby told TMZ of the show's crew in April. "... I just don't think the show should be overproduced. I think we should just let things happen that happen."

The “Dance Moms” cast is due to compete in Phoenix for Season 6, episode 7. ALDC LA will reportedly attend Sheer Talent on Nov. 21 at Pinnacle High School. Tickets for the event are $20 each and available to purchase here.

“Dance Moms” Season 6 is expected to premiere on Lifetime in 2016.